Much of the Earth’s
historyis “locked” in rocks and displayed in its land features. Visiting students will
learn about the formation of the Earth, rocks, minerals and land features in
the context of examining Maryland Geology.
Students will also conduct hands-on modelling investigations to learn
how land features form and change through plate tectonics, wind, water, ice
weathering and erosion processes.

Performance Expectations: 4-ESS2 Earth’s Systems Students who demonstrate understanding can:  4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. 4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.

Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems • Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around. (4-ESS2-1)ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth • Local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time due to earth forces, such as earthquakes. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed. (4-ESS1-1)

Science and Engineering PracticesPlanning and Carrying Out Investigations to answer questions.• Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon. (4-ESS2-1)

Analyzing and Interpreting Data• Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning. (4-ESS2-2)

Performance Expectation: 5-ESS2 Earth’s Systems Students who demonstrate understanding can: 5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact [Clarification Statement: Examples could include the influence of the ocean, atmosphere on landform shape.]

Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI)ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems • Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes.

Science and Engineering PracticesDeveloping and Using Models• Develop a model using an example to describe a scientific principle. (5-ESS2-1)

Crosscutting Concepts Systems and System Models • A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (5-ESS2-1)